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Right from the day of its announcement, ‘7aum arivu’ never failed to make the headlines of cinema columns frequently for one thing or the other. With Tamil cinema’s most famous names like A.R. Murugadoss, Suriya, Harris Jeyaraj and Udayanidhi Stalin joining hands and reports carrying news that the movie is a medical science thriller with a never before heard storyline, the expectations were as high as the budget of the movie. These expectations were catapulted to the next level when Murugadoss during the audio launch of the movie announced that the movie is partly inspired by the life history of Bodhidharma aka Damo, a Tamil Pallava prince who went to China and later became a Buddhist monk and a master and creator of Shaolinquan. Releasing amidst all these hype and hoopla, did ‘7aum arivu’ deliver what it promised?

The story opens with a brief portrayal of the life of Bodhidharma (Suriya). From there it shifts to the present day China, where the Chinese government sends agent Dong Lee (Johnny Tri Nguyen) to execute a deadly operation against India. Meanwhile a path breaking research is being carried out in India by scientist Subha Srinivasan (Shruthi Hasan) for which Aravind (Suriya), a circus artist has a crucial role to play. How these two incidents are related to each other and what happens to the operation have been answered in the rest of the movie. The first twenty minutes of the movie displays master class but after that the movie falls prey to the usual commercial flick category. Though there are few surprises now and then, they fail to create an impact owing to a lackluster screenplay with unnecessary love sequences and songs intersecting the main plot. Dong Lee’s hypnotic abilities could have been made to look more plausible rather than like mere black magic. The stereotypic climax is also a major let down.

The movie does have few admirable aspects. First is its unique theme, a new and definitely valuable addition to the Tamil cinema. Next is the lead pair’s acting. Suriya as usual has done a perfect job and has carried forward his role with ease. Shruthi Hasan having bagged a meaty role compared to her contemporaries has executed it with finesse. Her pronunciation could have been better but still is laudable for dubbing on her own. Villain Johnny Tri Nguyen with his mere looks brings the much needed menace and fear. Finally the technical aspects of the movie go well hand in hand. Ravi.K.Chandran’s brilliant cinematography and Antony’s editing are valuable additions to the movie. Harris Jeyaraj’s compositions are rich in songs but are less evident in background music. Dialogues are also impressive and deliver the message clearly then and there.

Overall, ‘7aum Arivu’ with all those ingredients sufficient for a magnum opus falls short of its promise due to its lackluster screenplay and amateur execution.